1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crop residue spreader for a combine and in particular to a spreader that is pivotally mounted to the combine for movement between a spreading position and a windrowing position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Management of crop residue, i.e. straw and chaff, at the time of harvesting is becoming of greater importance with the increased use of reduced tillage or no-tillage farming practices. By widely dispersing the crop residue, as opposed to dropping the residue in a narrow width row immediately behind the combine, the residue is more evenly distributed across the ground. This produces benefits during the spring planting season including greater uniformity in soil temperature and greater uniformity in ground conditions for operation of seeding equipment. It is known to spread the residue at the rear of the combine with one or two rotating disks. The rotating disks disperse the residue over a wide area behind the combine. Such spreaders work well as long as the operator desires to spread the residue. If the operator wishes to windrow the residue for later collection, it is often necessary to remove the spreader to provide a clear path for the crop residue to fall to the ground. This is a time consuming process.